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WIFMCO August 2016 Member Newsletter
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WIFMCO
August Newsletter
A message from our Student Board Member at large: Michelle Blackburn
 

Hello WIFMCO Members!
 
There has never been a stronger call for diversity in our industry, and Colorado is primed to lead the charge with our exponential growth, incredible talent and progressive spirit.  We have so much to be excited about!
 
Although our industry and film schools can be a lonely place for women and people of color, my experience has taught me that there is nothing more valuable than having a trusted mentor who understands the challenges women face while pursuing our vocation.  As the Student At Large Board member, my focus is to engage and empower student involvement within the WIFMCO community through our mission of inspiring and supporting women film/media creators.  We are the untold stories the world is dying to hear.  WIFMCO is the herald call.
 
My commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion at both the Colorado Film School and the Community College of Aurora has provided me with experience of serving as the president for CCA’s Inclusion Excellence Student Council, and also as the only student on CCA’s Inclusion Excellence Leadership Council.  I have also served as the first two-term president for CFS TV, the Colorado Film School’s television club.  My passion for social, political and climate justice has afforded me the opportunity to work with Democracy Spring as a field producer during April 2016, and I’m currently producing a documentary about my experience with the political movement.
 
The world is ready for diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences.  It’s time to crawl out from beneath the stifling homogeneity of the film/media industry and claim the fullness of our creativity!
 
Adventure Awaits!
 
Michelle E. Blackburn
Community College of Aurora and the Colorado Film School ~ 
Inclusive Excellence Student Council President
Women in Film and Media of Colorado ~
Student Board Member at Large 


WIFMCO

About Your Membership

“Where do your membership dollars go?”
 
Hello members of WIFMCO!
 
The summer may be ending, but here at WIFMCO we are still going strong, planning fun events and educational panels for our incredible community of women in film and media!
 
First of all, I would like to thank you for becoming a member of this fledgling chapter of Women in Film. A common question I have encountered since becoming the Membership Chair is “where do my membership dues go?” Well, let me break it down for you:
 
First, you know all of those networking events and panel discussions that are free to members? WIFMCO has to budget for each of these events, making sure we have the support to provide a venue, snacks and of course wine. However, events are not the only costs we incur…
 
We are actively working toward becoming a 501(C)(3), which will allow WIFMCO non-profit status. In order to do this we have to meet with lawyers and submit application fees to ensure that we are completing the process correctly and thoroughly. These efforts are pretty pricey, and your membership dues go a long way to make 501(C)(3) status a reality.
 
Also, have you visited our website recently? If you have, I am sure you have seen that this is a work-in-progress! We are actively working with a web developer to create a space that is useful to all WIFMCO members. This means community resources, information on membership benefits, upcoming screenings, panels and other fun events. Your dollars are making this new space happen.
 
But here’s the cool part, the $50 that came out of your pocket to support this fantastic community can be written off as an expense (if you own your own business) during that fun time of year when you get to file your taxes!
 
Thank you for supporting Women in Film & Media Colorado!
 
Mariel Rodriguez-McGill
Documentary Producer/Director
Membership Chair, Women in Film & Media Colorado
 
Events
Summer BBQ August 27th 2p.m-5p.m
Candela's Swim & Fitness Center
19865 W. 94th Ave, 80007
FREE FOOD *BYOB
Open to WIFMCO members & non-members
 SILENT AUCTION:

WIFMCO is raising money to help us reach our 501c3 status and plan bigger and better events for 2017. We will be holding a "Silent Auction" at our August 27th event. Some of the items that will be available are:
  • Craftwrite: Page notes on first 30 pages of your script. $125 value: Donated by Trai Cartwright www.craftwrite.com
  • Canon C100mll and Lens Package: This auction prize package will consist of either the C100mll or C300mll Cinema Camera and a lens package including – 24mm,50mm CN-E lenses, 28-300mm L series and the 24- 70mm L series lens. Batteries and 64gb C-Fast media card.For an evaluation of a 5 day ,consecutive shoot. (NOT TO KEEP) $3500 value. Donated by Matthew Carman
  • 1 Look head shot package valued at $250. To be used by Dec. 31st 2016. Donated by Jason Coviello www.jcartistry.com
  • 1 month of acting classes at The Actor's Study:Multiform method acting training for film & stage. Tuesday night workshop- good though Dec. 31st 2016. $100 (Value is subjective) Must be used consecutively- Donated by Alicia Leeper  www.theactorsstudy.com
  • 30 Plexus Nutrition Starter Package: Valued at $150. Donated by Shawna Roberts

Plus Colorado Film Office Swag, production gear, personal assistant services & house cleaning, Talk to the Camera On-camera classes for children. Door prizes from Scentsy and more!

Check our Facebook Page this week for more details! 
RSVP HERE
Mark your Calendars: 48 Hour Film Project Winners to be announced soon.
Sept 15th at Esquire Theater Best Of Screening! More details on their Facebook Page: HERE
Member Spotlight
Julie Speer
Julie Speer:
       An Emmy award-winning writer/producer/director/editor, Julie has been creating digital film and video productions for over 15 years. She has produced and directed over 500 short documentaries on countless social issues, from HIV in Africa and HEP C in the United States, to homelessness, abused children and poverty. She is the Senior Executive Producer at Rocky Mountain PBS where she is the Executive Producer for the Emmy Award winning Colorado Experience, currently in its 4th season, and writes, shoots, directs and edits several of the 1/2 hour episodes. She has also produced several long-form documentaries, including Emmy Nominated “Sweet Ambition” and “Haiti’s Small Miracles”, both which premiered at The Denver International Film Festival, aired on PBS, and are used in classrooms across the country. She co-produced & directed “Swift Justice”, a documentary film on the largest workplace raid in U.S. history, which screened during the 2008 Democratic National Convention and was used in a national grassroots outreach campaign in support of immigration reform.
 
We had the opportunity this month to sit down with Julie and learn of her enthusiasm and passion for the industry:
 
How did you get into filmmaking?
I got into filmmaking by accident. While studying International Affairs and Economics in Brussels, Belgium, I started a theatre company at the small liberal arts college that I was attending. I loved theatre and wrote and directed several 1 act plays. I loved acting and thought that I wanted to be an actress so I moved to San Francisco and got involved with an acting troop. I was in a commercial and hit it off with the director and told him that I wanted to work for him. On his next commercial I was his volunteer Assistant Director and once I was behind the camera I was hooked. I haven't been in front of the camera since... well, until I started pledging for PBS! When I moved to Denver I started a documentary film company with a friend because it was easier to make a low budget documentary than a low budget film. Now I LOVE the documentary format. To quote Ken Burns "it is what is real". And some of the historical stories that we tell are stranger than fiction!
 
Talk about a memorable moment in the field.
I have so many memorable field moments. They are the life blood of filmmaking and what gets me through the more tedious phases of development and pre-production. I love editing too, but the field is where it's at for me. One of my favorite projects has been the Emmy Award-Winning "Sand Creek Massacre" 1 hour documentary for Colorado Experience. To be at the table, actually AT Sand Creek, 150 years after the massacre happened and to film and LISTEN to the stories of what happened and to tell that story has been one of the most significant projects in my life.  Many of these stories were handed down through oral history, generation to generation, and I was the first white person to hear them. It was an honor and privilege. Another funny time was filming in Malawi in Africa and I was the first white person this 3 to 4 year old boy had ever seen and he was screaming and crawling into his mother's arms. It was pretty funny.
 
(Colorado Experience: Sand Creek Massacre can be seen here: http://video.rmpbs.org/video/2365379662/)
 
Why do you love being a part of Colorado’s film industry?
Colorado's film industry is full of potential and I'm proud to be a part of it. There is an amazing support system with the Film Commission (shout out to Donald Zuckerman who has been a champion for reviving the industry here and financially supporting Colorado Experience!), but to me, things seem possible here in way that they just don't in LA or NYC.  Plus we have the mountains and more sunshine than Florida. I never want to leave!
 
How do you continue to challenge yourself in the industry?
I challenge myself in big and small ways. A small way was to learn Final Cut when AVID went out of style, and then to learn Premiere when FCP was passé. Nowadays I'm writing my first screenplay. It's been challenging to go out of my documentary comfort zone, but the beauty of a screenplay is that there's no budget in my imagination! The sky's the limit and I feel really liberated, with no boundaries!
 

 
Community Happenings...
 
AMATEUR is a forthcoming feature film written and directed by Ryan Koo (@ryanbkoo), selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. See Article HERE

 


Netflix movie to film in So. Colo.

Article from Colorado Film Office: Hollywood movie stars Robert Redford and Jane Fonda are set to be on location here filming scenes for a Netflix movie that could be a real shot in the arm to Southern Colorado.

The Netflix film “Our Souls at Night” is an adaptation of late Salida author Kent Haruf’s novel. Redford and Fonda are confirmed to start shooting scenes for the movie in Southern Colorado next month. “On Sept. 17, they will be filming at the Pioneer Day Parade and both Fonda and Redford will be in the parade,” said Florence City Manager Mike Patterson. “They will return to Florence Sept. 28 and 29 and Oct. 14, 17 and 18.”

“We were told by Patrick Mignano, location manager, that they will be filming in the hardware store, the bowling alley, the old Florence Hotel and the baseball field. They also did say they might need some extras, but someone else does the casting,” Patterson explained.

Six days of filming could be, “a nice shot in the arm for Florence but when people see this family movie and it portrays Florence in a favorable light,” it could mean a boost in tourism as well, Patterson said.

“We are excited about it — it is pretty cool,” he said.

Read more @NewsOk.com



SeriesFest: Featuring Women Initiative
SeriesFest has partnered with Rose McGowan and Damage Inc. Productions to discover new episodic content about, for and featuring women. The script competition gives artists the opportunity to submit dark comedy and dramatic series which create unique and powerful roles for women.
The winning artist(s) will receive a development deal with Damage Inc. Productions.
See more information HERE
 

‘Women Empowerment’ block of 2 films

September 16th  11:00 a.m. $10
 
Film 1:
Strong Sisters: Elected Women in Colorado

Directed, Produced and Written by Laura Hoeppner and Meg Froelich

Colorado, USA | 70 min  Filmmaker in attendance

Strong Sisters: Elected Women in Colorado tells the extraordinary story of elected women in Colorado. The compilation of oral histories from past and current female elected officials is the foundation for this documentary film.

So what’s going on in Colorado? Why does Colorado have this proud history of electing women to public office? What difference have elected women made in our state? And why hasn’t Colorado elected a female Governor, U.S. Senator, or Mayor of Denver? Strong Sisters examines these questions and inspires today’s women to build on our remarkable history.
 

Film 2:

Code: Debugging the Gender Gap

Directed by Robin Hauser

USA | 80min

Filmmaker in attendance

Tech jobs are growing three times faster than our colleges are producing computer science graduates. By 2020, there will be one million unfilled software engineering jobs in the USA. Through compelling interviews, artistic animation and clever flashpoints in popular culture, CODE documentary examines the reasons why more girls and people of color are not seeking opportunities in computer science and explores how cultural mindsets, stereotypes, educational hurdles and sexism all play roles in this national crisis. Expert voices from the worlds of tech, psychology, science, and education are intercut with inspiring stories of women who are engaged in the fight to challenge complacency in the tech industry and have their voices heard. CODE aims to inspire change in mindsets, in the educational system, in startup culture and in the way women see themselves in the field of coding.

Additional Credits

Director / Producer: Robin Hauser Reynolds
Producer: Staci Hartman
Editor / Producer: Christie Herring
Executive Producers: Helen Bradley & Steve Kleiman, Bradley Feld & Amy Batchelor, Hitz Family Foundation, Blake Irving, Amy Rao, Regina K. Scully, Nathalie Steinmetz & Britt Griffith, Kristen Timken

 

News from WIFTI
(Women in Film & Television International)
Click links below for more information
Female Filmmakers Resources Map for Women at Sundance

 
If you are reading this newsletter and haven't joined WIFMCO yet. Please consider a membership. $50 annual dues. If you attend 5 events, your membership will pay for itself! Once we reach our financial goal to reach our non-profit status, we will be well on our way to being part of the WIFTI association where your member benefits will help you flourish in your film & media career!  CLICK HERE to JOIN
Copyright © * Women in Film & Media CO * 2016 All rights reserved.


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